It's gray and a bit lazy here in Missoula. I love the snow, and I love winter (it is my favorite season). "Real" winter is one of the reasons we moved here. But the "real" winter has faded away in the last few days, with drizzle replacing snow, and mud...
It was six weeks after Annika was born, on a Friday, that it hit me. Annika was having another one of her “colic” fits of uncontrollable crying. (The crying that is completely unsoothable, regardless of how many of Dr. Karp’s “S’s” I try.) Annika’s uncontrollable crying lasted about 45 minutes. ...
Last weekend I had the pleasure of teaching a natural weight-loss class at Meadowsweet Herbs here in Missoula. I had a blast! Maybe it's because I love doing what I do, and I LOVE talking about natural medicine. But I think I surprised some folks. One of the first things I told...
Between 9 and 15 months of age most children are screened for iron-deficiency with a toe or finger prick test. Why are they torturing your little one? Well, I promise it's for a good reason. What is iron deficiency? Iron is an essential mineral necessary for carrying oxygen in the blood. Deficiency of...
Enuresis and encopresis. Those are the medical terms for bed wetting and soiling. (Sounds a lot nicer in medical jargon, doesn't it?) These are extremely common problems. And they are extremely frustrating for parents, who often don't understand how or why their child is bed wetting or soiling. Why are they? Well,...
When I was 22 I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). This was after months of medication trials and diagnostic tests. (Parasite test - check. Endoscopy - check. Gastric emptying study - check. Ultrasound - check.) Oh the disgusting barium I had to swallow, the poop I had to collect...
Annika, my 9 month old, got her first fever over Christmas. It went up to 105.8° F (on a temporal artery thermometer). I can just hear the other parents now: "Yikes! 105.8? You gave her Tylenol, right?" Nope. No Tylenol, no ibuprofen, nothing but extra cuddles and lots of nursing. Her fever broke...
I don't like the Baby Bjorn. (I can just hear the cries of all the Bjorn-wearing mothers across the country: "WHAT? How dare you scorn my Bjorn!") Here's why: Hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is simply the abnormal formation of the hip joint. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint (remember...
Calcium is one of the most important minerals in the body and is involved in much more than just bone formation. Calcium is required for our nerves to pass signals, for our blood to clot, our heart to pump, and our muscles to contract. Every cell in the body requires...
I love Thanksgiving. It is such a beautiful holiday. Just the concept is uplifting: a day to give thanks. I know for many people Thanksgiving is extremely stressful, with big meals to plan, family conflicts and the worst travel days of the year. But when that big turkey is plopped...
Last week I wrote about Mom blogs and how they make me anxious with their beautiful, picture-perfect families and super-Mom stories. Over this past week I heard from several other parents who have said they identify with my Mom-guilt. This week I am dealing with the fact that I'm not perfect. ...
Mommy blogs make me anxious. Especially the crunchy, granola, happy, hippie, healthy Mama blogs. You know, the ones tagged antivax, homebirthing/waterbirthing, GAPS diet, elimination communication, EBF, baby-wearing, co-sleeping, baby-led weaning or unschooling. The ones with eight or nine beautiful, artsy photographs of their trendy kids frolicking in fields of blissful...